


i don't dance, but here i am

by annadavidson



Series: let us duel the stars (a mass effect dual au) [8]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Dual AU, M/M, Mass Effect AU, Mass Effect Dual AU, Reyes Vidal Appreciation Week 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-27
Updated: 2017-06-27
Packaged: 2018-11-19 13:54:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11314785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annadavidson/pseuds/annadavidson
Summary: Julian knew Reyes was up to something when he entered the “throne room,” a song he recognized from his own collection playing in the background, and candles lining the walls, lighting the room up with their flickering flames.Prompt: "I’m going to teach you how to dance, come here."





	i don't dance, but here i am

Julian knew Reyes was up to something when he entered the “throne room,” a song he recognized from his own collection playing in the background, and candles lining the walls, lighting the room up with their flickering flames. The moment he recognized the song, he felt the urge to sing along with it. Reyes had once asked him what his favorite slow song was. Of course it was an old song – the “wedding version” of the song _Never Stop_ by Safetysuit. He liked old songs, and he couldn’t think of one more romantic than that.

He’d been admittedly distracted, rereading reports before having SAM send them to the Nexus, and thus hadn’t thought much of it when Reyes had asked him to have SAM send him a digital copy of the song.

Reyes sat on the thrown, which was an odd site. He was used to seeing Sloane – now _Keema_ there. It didn’t quite feel right, though the other man looked like he was made to sit on a throne. But usually whoever sat on that throne was a target, and he didn’t like the idea of people coming after Reyes. It was the main reason why he’d been glad Keema was Reyes’ front and not many others knew who the Charlatan really was.

“What are you up to this time?” Julian asked as he approached the throne.

Reyes grinned and pushed himself to his feet. “Do you like it?”

Julian thought it over, eyes glancing around the room again. He was fairly certain that this was one big romantic gesture on Reyes’ part – he’d read enough romance novels and seen enough movies to know one when he saw it. To say he was flattered would have been an understatement. No one had ever done anything like this for him before. Well, Jaal and Gil had both done romantic gestures for him, but he made an effort not to compare anything that the three men did to each other. He didn’t want to make any of them think his affection for them was a competition.

“Where did you get all these candles?” he bluntly asked, earning a chuckle from Reyes.

“I have my ways.”

His gaze turned to Reyes again. “Do you know the saying that a magician never reveals their secret?  Is that true for smugglers too?”

Reyes was clearly finding the conversation entertaining. “You said I could have some secrets.”

Julian pursed his lips. He remembered saying that.

Reyes took another step forward before bowing and extending a hand to the Pathfinder. Julian recognized what he was asking and quickly shook his head.

“I don’t dance.”

“Don’t or _can’t?”_

“I can’t,” Julian stated matter-of-factly, “So I don’t.”

Reyes playfully rolled his eyes and took Julian’s hand in his own. The Pathfinder had a feeling he was about to be dragged into dancing again.

“I’m going to teach you how to dance,” Reyes explained, earning a raised eyebrow from the other man. “Come here.” He guided him to the middle of the room and gently pulled him closer. He placed Julian’s free hand on his shoulder before resting his own hand against the small of Julian’s back.

Julian turned his head to try to look at Reyes’ hand. “Is it supposed to be that low?”

“I can lower it,” Reyes offered, his voice low, _seductive._

Julian’s eyes snapped back to him, his face reddening.

Reyes chuckled. “Just follow my lead.”

“What if I step on your feet?”

Reyes pulled him closer so they rested against each other. “You’re more graceful than you give yourself credit for.”

He followed Reyes’ lead as best he could. He didn’t like not being able to predict what the next move would be, having to guess where Reyes would step, where he was supposed to step. Eventually it turned into a pattern, a rhythm that Reyes said he could track by counting.

He tried his best not to think about Reyes’ body flush against his own. When he did, it made it hard for him to concentrate, and he almost stepped on Reyes’ foot. He tried to angle his head so he could watch their feet, trying to memorize the pattern they were stepping in. He could feel Reyes’ eyes on him, and when he looked up to him, Reyes was watching him affectionately.

At one point, Reyes took a step away from him and spun him slowly before guiding him back into his arm.

Eventually Julian rested his head against Reyes’ shoulder. He no longer felt a need to watch their feet shuffle along, but rather just enjoy this moment with a man he was so deeply in love with. The song was on a loop, repeating once it ended. He wondered if Reyes would eventually get tired of it. He knew he wouldn’t. He enjoyed hearing the sound mixed with the song of Reyes’ heart beating.

“Can we stay like this?” he found himself asking quietly. He felt the urge to close his eyes and just focus on Reyes, feeling him against him, listening to the rhythm of his heart. Right now, he didn’t feel like he was a Pathfinder. He didn’t feel that practically ever constant weight on his shoulders. Right now, he was just a man in love, nothing more. And he found he didn’t want to be anything more. He just wanted to be himself and be in love.

Reyes placed a kiss on the top of his head. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, Jules.”

**Author's Note:**

> Like/reblog on Tumblr [here](http://magicrobins.tumblr.com/post/162299920425/julianreyes-im-going-to-teach-you-how-to).


End file.
